The use of wireless communication systems by which to communicate telephonically has achieve wide popularity in recent years. Telephonic communication, by way of various types of wireless communication systems, permits the communication of both voice and nonvoice data between sending and receiving stations of such communication systems.
As a wireline connection is not required to effectuate communication in a wireless communication system, improved mobility of communications in a wireless communication system, relative to communication by way of conventional wireline communication systems, is inherently possible. Because a wireless connection is formed, connection limitations conventionally otherwise required in a wireline system do not correspondingly limit movement of communication stations operable in a wireless communication system.
A cellular communication system is exemplary of a wireless communication system which has achieved high levels of utilization. A cellular communication system is a multi-user communication system permitting large numbers of subscribers, i.e., users, to communicate telephonically through the use of mobile stations operable in such cellular communication systems. Various types of cellular communication systems have been developed and implemented throughout large geographical areas. Some cellular communication systems permit the communication of non-real time messages, such as packet-formatted messages forming alphanumeric text. SMS (Short Message Service) messaging in the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular communication system is exemplary of a non-real time message communicable to a mobile station. Subsequent to delivery at the mobile station, the SMS message is at least selectably displayable upon a screen display of the mobile station.
Cellular communication systems have also been proposed which comply with a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) standard specification. The WAP standard specification also provides for the communication of non-real time, packet-formatted data. In manners analogous to the manner by which SMS messages are communicated to the mobile station to be displayed thereat, WAP messages are also communicable to a mobile station, also to be displayed thereat.
A mobile station operable in a system capable of communicating non-real time messages as well as conventional real time signals would be capable of receiving conventional, voice calls, conventional facsimile calls, as well as packet-formatted, non-real time messages.
Different communication-types might be of different priorities to the user of the mobile station. For instance, a voice call to be terminated at the mobile station might be of high priority to the user while a non-real time, packet-formatted message might be of lesser priority for the user. Also, the content of different non-real time messages might also be of different priorities to the user of the mobile station. For instance, an advertising message might be of a low priority to the user but certain other informational messages might be of higher priority to the user. And, the origin location, i.e., the identity of the sending party, might also be determinative to the user of the mobile station of the priority to be associated with the message. Any of various indicia, therefore, might well be determinative of the priority desired by the user to be associated with a message or call to be terminated at the mobile station.
Existing manners by which to alert the user of the mobile station of termination thereat of a communication message, such as a voice call or non-real time message, generally does not adequately distinguish, in the alert, between the different levels of priority to be associated with the terminating message or call.
A mobile station generally is constructed in manners such that its user interface mimics, to as great an extent possible, operation of a conventional, wireline device. For instance, when a conventional voice call is to be terminated at the mobile station, a paging signal is first communicated to the mobile station and a ringing tone is generated at the mobile station to alert the user of the terminating call. When the call is accepted, the ringing tone is stopped, and conventional voice communications are thereafter effectuated. The termination of a non-real time message at the mobile station is generally either alerted in the same manner by which a voice call is terminated at the mobile station or is not alerted in any manner. Also, although many non-real time, packet-formatted messages include indications of the location, or person, at which the message originated, is contained in the message, as well as the information generally is not utilized to alert the user of reception of a message originated at a particular location.
A manner by which better to alert a user of a message of a selected communication type at a mobile station, or other radio device, would therefore be advantageous.
Further, a manner by which to selectably alert a user of the mobile station, or other radio device, of determination thereat of a message of a particular content would also be advantageous.
Additionally, a manner by which to selectably alert a user of the mobile station, or other radio device, of determination thereat of a message originated at a particular location would also be advantageous.
It is in light of this background information related to manners by which to annunciate termination of a message at a radio device that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.